“Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.“

John Quincy Adams

This beautiful and gentle tree grows near the house in our front yard. Often when we are eating dinner we look out the side window to see hummingbirds flitting from one flower to the next. Impossibly delicate, adorned with shimmering gossamer coats straight from a fable story, they defy that which is real.

Breath is always held at a sighting, voices lowered to a whisper, the fear being that if an exhale is too sudden the tiny creatures might disappear, desert mirages becoming sand. The scene creates a certain amount of magic, a sense of fairy spirits existing despite others claiming they do not.

As for me, when given the choice, I choose to believe in the powerful spells of these tiny sprites, for without them, how dull would life be?